Vegetarian Recipe: Tofu

This is another simple tufo recipe for vegetarians like me. As a long-time vegetarian, tufo is a decent option as vegetable prices rise and become rare. I enjoy eating tufo and have collected a few movies about different recipes and preparations for it as a main meal. One is this video, which I'd like to publish with full credit to its owner.

Here are the benefits of eating Tofu:

Tofu offers numerous health advantages, such as:
Heart health: The isoflavones found in tofu can lower "bad" cholesterol levels, as well as the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Bone health: The calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus found in tofu help to maintain healthy bones.
Plant-based protein, which aids in tissue growth and repair, is abundant in tofu.
Weight loss: Tofu contains branched-chain amino acids, which can help control weight, promote muscle growth, and enhance athletic performance.
Menopause symptoms: Tofu can lower the risk of osteoporosis and alleviate symptoms like hot flashes.
Cancer prevention: The high isoflavone content of tofu may lower the risk of developing some types of cancer.
Blood sugar control: Tofu might aid in blood sugar control.
Mood: Tofu could improve your mood.

9 Foods We Should Never Eat

Pesco - Vegetarian : A pescatarian, or a pesco-vegetarian, is a vegetarian who also consumes fish and seafood. This is a type of semi-vegetarian diet. Adding seafood to an otherwise vegetarian diet can make it easier to meet your nutrient needs while still maintaining a mainly plant-based diet. http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/pescovegetarian-3146.html

This is the kind of diet I am into now, while I am preparing myself for the next level. Hopefully, next year I'd be observing the Lacto-Ovo. As a semi-vegetarian diet observer, I shun of eating red meats such as beef, chicken for 2 years now successfully. I did it for health reason so as I don't feel like eating and killing of animals for consumption and personal satisfaction of gluttony. Sorry for the terms being used but it just my own personal ideas, no malice intended here. Biblically speaking, God instructed Adam to eat the fruits and vegetables back in the garden of Eden. Sadly, when man fell into sin everything broke into and mankind dis-followed God's rules. I am so much blessed and glad that I met several vegetarians who inspired me to apply it literally. The applying was pretty hard at first but then you'd see the deeper effects and blessings when you try it.
One of the secrets of life's longevity is being vegetarianism or back to basic rules of eating fruits and vegetables, of course follows with proper exercise both physically and spiritually.
I found this link being circulated and shared in Facebook, and I have come to read the entire contents and practically convinced that I should observe and vigilant the kind of food products I am buying in the supermarket. Let me share with you the "9 Foods We Should Never Eat".

1. Canned Tomatoes

Many leading brands of canned foods contain BPA -- a toxic chemical linked to reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems. According to Consumer Reports’ testing, just a couple of servings of canned food can exceed the safety limits for daily BPA exposure for children.

High acidity — a prominent characteristic of tomatoes – causes BPA to leach into your food. To avoid this hazardous chemical, avoid canned foods entirely and stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, or switch over to brands that use glass containers instead—especially for acidic foods like tomatoes.

2. Processed Meats

As Koch warns, processed deli meats like salami, ham, and roast beef are typically made with meats from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

This means they’re given growth hormones, antibiotics and other veterinary drugs, and raised in deplorable conditions that promote disease, these meats are also filled with sodium nitrite (a commonly used preservative and antimicrobial agent that also adds color and flavor) and other chemical flavorings and dyes.

Nitrites can be converted into nitrosamines in your body, which are potent cancer-causing chemicals. Research has linked nitrites to higher rates of colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancer. But that’s not all. Most processed deli meats also contain other cancer-promoting chemicals that are created during cooking. These include:

• Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) which are hazardous compounds created in meats and other foods that have been cooked at high temperatures. According to research, processed meats are clearly associated with an increased risk of stomach, colon and breast cancers.
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): Many processed meats are smoked as part of the curing process, which causes PAHs to form. PAHs can also form when grilling. When fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, and the smoke surrounds your food, it can transfer cancer-causing PAHs to the meat.
• Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs): When food is cooked at high temperatures—including when it is pasteurized or sterilized—it increases the formation of AGEs in your food. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease.

The truth is, processed meats are not a healthful choice for anyone and should beavoided entirely, according to a 2011 review of more than 7,000 clinical studies examining the connection between diet and cancer. The report was commissioned by The World Cancer Research Fund2 (WCRF) using money raised from the general public. Therefore the findings were not influenced by any vested interests, which makes it all the more reliable.

It's the biggest review of the evidence ever undertaken, and it confirms previous findings: Processed meats increase your risk of cancer, especially bowel cancer, and NO amount of processed meat is "safe." You’re far better off ditching the deli meats and opting instead for fresh organically-raised grass-fed meats, or wild caught salmon.

3. Margarine

The unfortunate result of the low-fat diet craze has been the shunning of healthful fats such as butter, and public health has declined as a result of this folly. There are a myriad of unhealthy components to margarine and other butter impostors, including:

• Trans fats: These unnatural fats in margarine, shortenings and spreads are formed during the process of hydrogenation, which turns liquid vegetable oils into a solid fat. Trans fats contribute to heart disease, cancer, bone problems, hormonal imbalance and skin disease; infertility, difficulties in pregnancy and problems with lactation; and low birth weight, growth problems and learning disabilities in children. A US government panel of scientists determined that man-made trans fats are unsafe at any level.
• Free radicals: Free radicals and other toxic breakdown products are the result of high temperature industrial processing of vegetable oils. They contribute to numerous health problems, including cancer and heart disease.
• Emulsifiers and preservatives: Numerous additives of questionable safety are added to margarines and spreads. Most vegetable shortening is stabilized with preservatives like BHT.
• Hexane and other solvents: Used in the extraction process, these industrial chemicals can have toxic effects.

CLA is not only known to help fight cancer and diabetes, it may even help you to lose weight, which cannot be said for its trans-fat substitutes.

Good-old-fashioned butter, when made from grass-fed cows, is rich in a substance called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Much of the reason why butter is vilified is because it contains saturated fat. If you're still in the mindset that saturated fat is harmful for your health, then please read the Healthy Fats section of my Optimized Nutrition Plan to learn why saturated fat is actually good for you.

4. Vegetable Oils

Of all the destructive foods available to us, those made with heated vegetable oilsare some of the worst. Make no mistake about it--vegetable oils are not the health food that you were lead to believe they were. This is largely due to the fact that they are highly processed, and when consumed in massive amounts, as they are by most Americans, they seriously distort the important omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Ideally, this ratio is 1:1.

Anytime you cook a food, you run the risk of creating heat-induced damage. The oils you choose to cook with must be stable enough to resist chemical changes when heated to high temperatures, or you run the risk of damaging your health. One of the ways vegetable oils can inflict damage is by converting your good cholesterol into bad cholesterol—by oxidizing it. When you cook with polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola, corn, and soy oils), oxidized cholesterol is introduced into your system.

As the oil is heated and mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid. Rancid oil is oxidized oil and should NOT be consumed—it leads directly to vascular disease. Trans-fats are introduced when these oils are hydrogenated, which increases your risk of chronic diseases like breast cancer and heart disease.

So what's the best oil to cook with?

Of all the available oils, coconut oil is the oil of choice for cooking because it is nearly a completely saturated fat, which means it is much less susceptible to heat damage. And coconut oil is one of the most unique and beneficial fats for your body. For more in-depth information about the many benefits of coconut oil, please see this special report. Olive oil, while certainly a healthful oil, is easily damaged by heat and is best reserved for drizzling cold over salad.

5. Microwave Popcorn

Perfluoroalkyls, which include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), are chemicals used to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers, are being ingested by people through their food and showing up as contaminants in blood. Microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFOA, and when they are heated the compound leaches onto the popcorn.

These chemicals are part of an expanding group of chemicals commonly referred to as "gender-bending" chemicals, because they can disrupt your endocrine system and affect your sex hormones. The EPA has ruled PFCs as "likely carcinogens," and has stated that PFOA "poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans." Researchers have also linked various PFCs to a range of other health dangers, such as:

• Infertility -- A study published in the journal Human Reproduction3 found that both PFOA and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), dramatically increased the odds of infertility. PFOA was linked to a 60 to 154 percent increase in the chance of infertility.
• Thyroid disease -- A 2010 study4 found that PFOA can damage your thyroid function. Individuals with the highest PFOA concentrations were more than twice as likely to report current thyroid disease, compared to those with the lowest PFOA concentrations. Your thyroid contains thyroglobulin protein, which binds to iodine to form hormones, which in turn influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in your body. Thyroid hormones are also required for growth and development in children. Thyroid disease, if left untreated, can lead to heart disease, infertility, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis.
• Cancer -- PFOA has been associated with tumors in at least four different organs in animal tests (liver, pancreas, testicles and mammary glands in rats), and has been associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers.
• Immune system problems -- Several studies by scientists in Sweden indicate that PFCs have an adverse effect on your immune system. As described in a report on PFCs by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), PFOA was found to decrease all immune cell subpopulations studied, in the thymus and spleen, and caused immunosupression.
• Increased LDL cholesterol levels – A 2010 study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine5 found that children and teens with higher PFOA levels had higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, while PFOS was associated with increased total cholesterol, including both LDL cholesterol and HDL or "good" cholesterol.

I strongly recommend avoiding any product you know containing these toxic compounds, particularly non-stick cookware, but also foods sold in grease-proof food packaging, such as fast food and microwave popcorn. Clearly, if you're eating fast food or junk food, PFCs from the wrapper may be the least of your problems, but I think it's still important to realize that not only are you not getting proper nutrition from the food itself, the wrappers may also add to your toxic burden.

6. Table Salt

Salt is essential for life—you cannot live without it. However, regular ‘table salt’ and the salt found in processed foods are NOT identical to the salt your body really needs. In fact, table salt has practically nothing in common with natural salt. One is health damaging, and the other is healing.

• Processed salt is 98 percent sodium chloride, and the remaining two percent comprises man-made chemicals, such as moisture absorbents, and a little added iodine. These are dangerous chemicals like ferrocyanide and aluminosilicate. Some European countries, where water fluoridation is not practiced, also add fluoride to table salt
• Natural salt is about 84 percent sodium chloride. The remaining 16 percent of natural salt consists of other naturally occurring minerals, including trace minerals like silicon, phosphorous and vanadium

Given that salt is absolutely essential to good health, I recommend switching to a pure, unrefined salt. My favorite is an ancient, all-natural sea salt from the Himalayas. Himalayan salt is completely pure, having spent many thousands of years maturing under extreme tectonic pressure, far away from impurities, so it isn't polluted with the heavy metals and industrial toxins of today. And it's hand-mined, hand-washed, and minimally processed. Himalayan salt is only 85 percent sodium chloride, the remaining 15 percent contains 84 trace minerals from our prehistoric seas. Unrefined natural salt is important to many biological processes, including:

• Being a major component of your blood plasma, lymphatic fluid, extracellular fluid, and even amniotic fluid
• Carrying nutrients into and out of your cells
• Maintain and regulate blood pressure
• Increasing the glial cells in your brain, which are responsible for creative thinking and long-term planning
• Helping your brain communicate with your muscles, so that you can move on demand via sodium-potassium ion exchange

While natural unprocessed salt has many health benefits, that does not mean you should use it with impunity. Another important factor is the potassium to sodium ratio of your diet. Imbalance in this ratio can not only lead to hypertension (high blood pressure) and other health problems, including heart disease, memory decline, erectile dysfunction and more. The easiest way to avoid this imbalance is by avoiding processed foods, which are notoriously low in potassium while high in sodium. Instead, eat a diet of whole, ideally organically-grown foods to ensure optimal nutrient content. This type of diet will naturally provide much larger amounts of potassium in relation to sodium.

7. Soy Protein Isolate and Other Un-fermented Soy Products

Sadly, most of what you have been led to believe by the media about soy is simply untrue. One of the worst problems with soy comes from the fact that 90 to 95 percent of soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered (GE), and these are used to create soy protein isolate. Genetically engineered soybeans are designed to be "Roundup ready,” which means they’re engineered to withstand otherwise lethal doses of herbicide.

The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate, which is responsible for the disruption of the delicate hormonal balance of the female reproductive cycle. What's more, glyphosate is toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital nutrients from mother to child, and eliminating waste products. Once the placenta has been damaged or destroyed, the result can be miscarriage. In those children born to mothers who have been exposed to even a small amount of glyphosate, serious birth defects can result.

Glyphosate’s mechanism of harm was only recently identified, and demonstrates how this chemical disrupts cellular function and induce many of our modern diseases, including autism. Soy protein isolate can be found in protein bars, meal replacement shakes, bottled fruit drinks, soups and sauces, meat analogs, baked goods, breakfast cereals and some dietary supplements.

Even if you are not a vegetarian and do not use soymilk or tofu, it is important to be a serious label reader. There are so many different names for soy additives, you could be bringing home a genetically modified soy-based product without even realizing it. Soy expert Dr. Kaayla Daniel offers a free Special Report7, "Where the Soys Are," on her Web site. It lists the many "aliases" that soy might be hiding under in ingredient lists -- words like "bouillon," "natural flavor" and "textured plant protein."

Besides soy protein isolate, ALL unfermented soy products are best avoided if you value your health. Thousands of studies have linked unfermented soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart disease.

The only soy with health benefits is organic soy that has been properly fermented, and these are the only soy products I ever recommend consuming. After a long fermentation process, the phytate and "anti-nutrient" levels of soybeans are reduced, and their beneficial properties become available to your digestive system. To learn more, please see this previous article detailing the dangers of unfermented soy.

8. Artificial Sweeteners

Contrary to popular belief, studies have found that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame can stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain. In one of the most recent of such studies8, saccharin and aspartame were found to cause greater weight gain than sugar.

Aspartame is perhaps one of the most problematic. It is primarily made up of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The phenylalanine has been synthetically modified to carry a methyl group, which provides the majority of the sweetness. That phenylalanine methyl bond, called a methyl ester, is very weak, which allows the methyl group on the phenylalanine to easily break off and form methanol.

You may have heard the claim that aspartame is harmless because methanol is also found in fruits and vegetables. However, in fruits and vegetables, the methanol is firmly bonded to pectin, allowing it to be safely passed through your digestive tract. Not so with the methanol created by aspartame; there it’s not bonded to anything that can help eliminate it from your body.

Methanol acts as a Trojan horse; it's carried into susceptible tissues in your body, like your brain and bone marrow, where the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme converts it into formaldehyde, which wreaks havoc with sensitive proteins and DNA. All animals EXCEPT HUMANS have a protective mechanism that allows methanol to be broken down into harmless formic acid. This is why toxicology testing on animals is a flawed model. It doesn't fully apply to people.

9. Non-Organic Potatoes and Other Fresh Produce Known for High Pesticide Contamination

Your best bet is to buy only organic fruits and vegetables, as synthetic agricultural chemicals are not permissible under the USDA organic rules. That said, not all conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are subjected to the same amount of pesticide load. While Koch focuses on potatoes, as they tend to take up a lot of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals present in the soil, I would recommend reviewing the "Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce"6 by the Environmental Working Group.

Of the 48 different fruit and vegetable categories tested by the EWG for the 2013 guide, the following 15 fruits and vegetables had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organically:

Apples	Celery	Cherry tomatoes
Cucumbers	Grapes	Hot peppers
Nectarines (imported)	Peaches	Potatoes
Spinach	Strawberries	Sweet bell peppers
Kale	Collard greens	Summer squash

In contrast, the following foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables. Note that a small amount of sweet corn and most Hawaiian papaya, although low in pesticides, are genetically engineered (GE). If you’re unsure of whether the sweet corn or papaya is GE, I’d recommend opting for organic varieties:

Asparagus	Avocado	Cabbage
Cantaloupe	Sweet corn (non-GMO)	Eggplant
Grapefruit	Kiwi	Mango
Mushrooms	Onions	Papayas (non-GMO. Most Hawaiian papaya is GMO)
Pineapple	Sweet peas (frozen)	Sweet potatoes

Guidelines for Healthy Food

Whatever food you’re looking to eat, whether organic or locally grown, from either your local supermarket or a farmer’s market, the following are signs of a high-quality, healthy food. Most often, the best place to find these foods is from a sustainable agricultural group in your area. You can also review my free nutrition plan to get started on a healthy eating program today:

• It’s grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers (organic foods fit this description, but so do some non-organic foods)
• It’s not genetically engineered
• It contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs
• It does not contain artificial anything, nor any preservatives
• It is fresh (if you have to choose between wilted organic produce or fresh conventional produce, the latter may still be the better option as freshness is important for optimal nutrient content)
• It was not grown in a factory farm
• It is grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors)
• It is grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants).

Disclaimer: Article was copied at: The 9 Foods You Should Never Eat

HEALING WONDERS OF NATURE

Nature is a gift from God to all mankind: The green lush vegetation is what keeps our planet beautiful and life-worthy. Without vegetation we would have a garden without flowers, a planet without life. To care for our planet is one of our key concerns to learn. To care for nature is to care for God. The amount of effort, time and resources we invest into maintenance, protection and safekeeping of our entire natural environment is proportional to the amount of love we have for God.

Nature is a playground for mankind - a heavenly playground made by God for us. Learn to enjoy nature and absorb nature's powerful healing for body mind and soul. The nature photos above shall be but a motivation to enjoy the beauty of this planet all on your own.

THE CHARMS OF NATURE

There's nothing much to update this time in my blog...same routine and usual errand.Well,life is a bit boring these weeks as in monotonous days have stricken my life that tempted me to quit my tutorial job.
Sometimes when you get bored, everything went down asking yourself while facing the mirror.Tiredness,loneliness starting to envelope your heart as if the world is already hopeless and no chances to grow and improve from the old ways of life.
I usually,spend time browsing the net and leisurely entertain my weary heart from the boredoms of life.Checking the pictures and wallpapers of nature was the best remedies I recommended for a loner type personality just like me.
The picture below removes the aches that excruciatingly hurting my heart...staring at it, cools down the heavy load that you carry everyday.

Springtime is seen as a time growth,renewal,new life being born, and the recycle of life..the picture can attest itself silently.
When you look up into the blue sky you will find a great big smile through the clouds.Smiles are what fill us with delight and bring us back to our good old days.I can feel it in the air like a new and shivering flower that is growing.
I can see a lark in the morning like saying hello to me.I can hear it in the wind like a warm and tender greeting from an old friend.
I can feel it in my heart like a pure and sparkling mountain stream cascading.The trails of God's creation speaks directly to the heart that no matter how hopeless the world is,you just look up and you won't get bored.His nature charms the boredom of life...

HEALING WONDERS OF TOUCH

If you are a person who always bombarded by stressful activities or a person who works against a constant pace of errand..then you need to stress out your stressful life by the healing wonders of touch.
At first,I considered massage as a form of "hilot", that if you have dislocated your muscles unintentionally, we rushed directly to call the "manghihilot".But massage in the cosmopolitan world is totally different.
Leaving in a fast pace suburbs is prone to any stress...I had my first massage experienced at Harrison Plaza with a blind masseur...it cost me a cheaper prize which I choose the 1 hour seat massage.
The touch therapy healed my stress temporarily...
Massage therapy has become an important part of general health care for many people living in today's stressful world.
Touch is a very important part of human contact. It helps us feel connected and loved by those around us.
Massage uses touch through rubbing or kneading of parts of the body to aid circulation, relax the muscles, or provide sensual stimulation.
Massage is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy.
The basic goal of massage therapy is to help the body heal itself and to increase health and well-being.

There are many health benefits to receiving massage therapy on a regular basis:
Relieves stress
Encourages relaxation
Improves circulation
Improves posture
Lowers blood pressure
Helps manage pain
Relaxes muscles
Improves flexibility
Improves breathing
Relieves tension headaches
Strengthens immune system
Decreases depression


A good massage is an exhilarating experience.Problems are among the forces that induced by such a stress pysically,mentally, etc. The Healing of touc truly eased the muscle pains and lessen the pressure of the bone marrow even to the dividing soul.
Every gentle push of a pressing hands,connect to the senses by which traction on the skin is perceived.My body is usually employ and habituated with a Shiatsu type of massage done by trained blind masseurs.
I frequently heard from friends that Thai massage is better.Just to experience what it was about,my feet leads me to Tagaytay to a famous Thai massage parlor in Tagaytay.
My conclusions had dictated me to utter the difference between the two,Thai massage is honestly better than Shiatsu.My boss rewarded me a gift certificate,that I should seek rest that induces muscular relaxation.Indeed, he handed me a Swedish massage gift certificate at Paseo de Sta.Rosa.
Well,without wasting anytime-I hitch the free time I had as if there'll be no tomorrow.Hitherto, I can still feel the jerking movement of hands that penetrated my bone marrow.With all sincerety,touch therapy brought relaxant which lessening the tension and stress caused by the distorted environment.Massage is a great medicine substitution for drugs.Yet, there's no other touch that could come close in parallel with the touch of a Master's Hand.
Oftentimes,I'm stressed because of my job requires a lot of talking and thinking,talking to the Most High and lays all my stressful burdens unto Him is the best refuge for healing that any massage can't equate.
God has a wonderful promise " Come to me all you who are weary and stressed, and I will give you rest." Matt.11:28

LONG-TERM HEALTH BENEFITS

(www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0511/feature1/)

Let me filled my blog with life-longevity or long-term health benefits this time.Obviously, the previous entry I posted tackled relatively about vegetarianism.
I'm not only telling why I am seriously determined of advocating the eating of only vegetable foods,but promoting it at the same time.
We all want to live longer healthy, the longer we stay off to meats, the more health benefits our body will experience.
Act of observing was the first thing I did to a group of health-conscious people,they envisioned another source of protien out of animal ingredients is cheaper and healthful.Your ample budget won't be affected that much if vegetables is the first consumption to consume.

"As cost of meat and chicken increased and people got affected with cardiovascular diseases and cancer, Doctors and health conscious people saw the healthful, positive advantage of vegetarian foods.After all, the original diet God gave man never included flesh food."
(source:Country Vegefoods,Inc.)

The National Geographic magazine sometimes features the "Secrets of Long Life" by visiting those centenarians who are still living at the age beyond 100.
Some of them were from Japan,USA (an SDA),and Sardinia.If you wish them to read and watch the video, just visit the website of National Geographic online
Try to read what was the reaction of an Expedionist about these vegetarian people:
"World Renowned Expeditionist to Speak on Secrets of Long Life
The secrets to living a longer, healthier life will be in the spotlight when expeditionist Dan Buettner speaks at Science Night, an annual event hosted by the Cambridge Campus science faculty of Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The free event will be held in the Cambridge Campus Center Food Court on Tuesday, Feb. 7, beginning at 7 p.m.
A pioneer in both exploration and education, Buettner recently led expeditions to the world’s longevity hotspots, called “Blue Zones.” On assignment for National Geographic Magazine and in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, Buettner used his travels to study diet and lifestyle and create a blueprint for living longer. His presentation will blend adventure, science and wisdom as he delivers secrets of longevity and ways to feel younger and reduce health care costs.
Buettner’s article on the secrets of longevity appeared in the November 2005 cover story of National Geographic.
Buettner, a resident of St. Paul, Minn., has previously logged thousands of miles on educational expeditions. In addition, he has created the innovative adventure learning program known as Quest Network. This online program has enabled online explorers to direct Buettner and a traveling team of experts as they unravel such mysteries as the collapse of the ancient Maya civilization and the fall of the Anasazi in North America. The Washington Post have called his quests “the most successful experiment in interactive education to date.”
An avid cyclist, Buettner has also set several Guinness World Records for long-distance cycling. Among his cycling accomplishments, he has led a team of cyclists on a 15,500-mile ride from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Tiera del Fuego, Argentina, as well as a 12,888-mile trek that went through the Soviet Union while it was still in existence."
(www.anokaramsey.mnscu.edu/news/story_232.cfm)

Aside from extending our age beyond the cut-off of mans' life, the other secret is applying the NEWSTART.
NEWSTART stands for:
N-nutrition
E-xercise
W-ater
S-unlight
T-emperance
A-ir
R-est
T-rust in the Lord
My church (SDA) is practicing this virtue in order to stay longer,healthy and prosperous.Why don't you try them at home...
Another Seventh Day Adventist,from Loma Linda California says:
"Tired of rushing in the mornings, mom Kim Rawson, at right, a Seventh-day Adventist in California, found a way to slow down the day for her family. When morning comes, they gather to pray, which studies indicate may help extend life. "Some days we just pray for the boys to get along," she says."

(source:www.hopevideo.com)


(source:www.thecentenarian.com)

THINK GREEN,THINK VEGETARIAN

Ever thought of going on a vegetarian diet? I did,settling to be vegetarian wasn't a plan but I was being encouraged and influenced by people who are preferring to eat vegetables rather to meat..I have circle of professional friends who are pure vegan.
It's been 7 years now that I am observing the vegetarian habit and even embracing the rules that everything should be vegetables alone,no milk,dairy cream,no candies,junk foods,and everything that is not healthy foods.
However,deciding to be vegetarian isn't easy...I was struggling so hard and got sick for awhile and controlling oneself with disciplining that I am a vegetarian now.
Why go veggie? a vegetarian diet is healthy because vegetarians consume no animal fat and less cholesterol.Instead,they consume more fiber and more antioxidants.
Aside from that,being vegetarian is a disease free..so it's safe to say that going on a vegetarian diet will keep you out of harm's way.

There are categories that you can select what level of vegetarianism you wish to observe:
1.Lacto Vege: Eats dairy products and plant-based foods but doesn't eat meat,poultry,fish, and eggs.
2.Lacto-Ovo Vege: Eats dairy products (milk,cheese), eggs, and all plant-based foods( vegetables,grains,fruits)
3.Ovo Vege: Eats eggs and plant-based foods, but not dairy products.
4.Vegan or Pure Vegetarian: Eats only plant-based foods.
5.Pesco Vege: Eats fish,eggs and dairy products, but eliminated meats such as: beef,pork,chicken,etc)plant-based foods.
(Source: http://candymag.com/bodybuzz )

I am practically a Pesco-Vegetarian,and is still on the process of eliminating fish and eggs and dairy products moderately.
Sometimes invitations like occasional parties where foods that you avoided to eat are the usual array being served.
Combatting yourself mentally as to whether you eat or not is a hard to do,there's this fighting of emotions and the mental thing. Oftentimes, to avoid any possible hard feelings towards the host, I reluctantly grace the occasion and taste a little of meat..but I learned from vegetarian friends that its better to tell the host honestly before the occasion came that you are a vegetarian,if the host insist and preparations of vege foods is openly to serve for you alone,then join the party and savor the vege foods that is served intended for you.


(Source: www.iit.edu )


Even celebrities have gone promoting of Vegetarianism globally..and among them is Sohie Monk,to name a few.
Australian pop singing sensation and actor Sophie Monk is as compassionate as she is beautiful. That's why she jumped at the opportunity to speak up for animals by shedding her clothes and posing nude in a bed of chili peppers alongside the tagline "Spice Up Your Life—Go Vegetarian" in one of PETA's sexiest vegetarian PSAs to date.
(Source: www.goveg.com)


(Source: www.vegetarian-nutrition.info )

Additional Info to encourage everyone to practice Vegetarianism:


A Southampton University team found that those who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average at the age of 10. Men who were vegetarian had an IQ score of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians. Make sense that people with high IQ tend to rationalize, think and act more than those with a low number, so here is the question: do people become vegetarian because of their high IQ, or because this “high” intelligence make them aware of health issues? What was first, the chicken, or the egg?
(Source: www.benettontalk.com/2006/12/vegetarian_iq.html )

Where Can You Eat Vegetarian Dishes?
Visit these veggie-friendly spots:
Chimaro Neo-Vegan Cafe' - Greenbelt 3
Hue Vietnamese Restaurant- Greenbelt 3
Bodhi - SM Megamall,SM Makati,SM Fairview, Madison Square, San Jaun
Healthy Options - Rustan's Market

SDA and Jesus Latter Day Saints are among the religions in the world that promotes vegetarianism...Biblically speaking, the Lord wants us to observe the "Back to Eden" practices which was done by our great grandparents Adam & Eve.
Eating vegetables is a one way of transforming our lives physically as we are taking care of them.